Ongoing Asynchronous Salesforce Support for Virtasant

Challenge

Virtasant faced multiple challenges during its startup phase:

• They had no CRM and needed one quickly—in the most efficient way, with as few bells and whistles as possible. But that was only the first phase of our work together.

• Since then, we’ve collaborated to add more automation and have organized their suite of technologies to suit their growing—and international—needs.

• They needed to begin with a solid foundation in place in order to scale and grow Virtasant with Salesforce.

↓ To accomplish our goals together, we broke the work down into three strategic phases…

Solution

Phase 1: Keep it simple, gain clarity and launch quickly

We kept things simple, staying as close to out-of-the-box Salesforce as possible, but got creative and wrote a little code when needed.

Dean was keenly aware of the importance of having a CRM in place for the future growth and health of Virtasant—and of the need to have a guide on this journey.

Our work together began with me gaining clarity around what Dean and Virtasant wanted and needed Salesforce to do for them.

• How big of a sales team?

• What do daily tasks look like?

• What information do we need to collect?

• And how can we make the best use of that data?

• Which reports and dashboards are needed to analyze progress?

I not only worked with Virtasant to understand requirements, pain points, and challenges—but also to see them through the implementation process within Salesforce.

Since we were able to communicate asynchronously during our respective pockets of free time throughout the week, we were able to move quickly.

We set up:

• Salesforce

• FinancialForce

• Outreach

Once done, I’d send video demos and instructions to ensure full understanding of concepts and implemented features.

Virtasant had a fully functional Salesforce platform within just a couple months!

Phase 2: Scaling and Automation

As Virtasant grew, we added more automation to capture leads and organize campaigns in Salesforce.

Key activities included:

• Automating lead capture from the site.

• Organizing campaigns and custom events.

• Scaling the CRM to support a larger sales team.

“When we started to get our act together and do a lot more campaigns (field events, private events, conferences, webinars), we had a real need to understand which of those things was the most effective.” - Dean

Phase 3: Global Expansion

With Virtasant's expansion, we adapted their CRM processes and technology suite for a global footprint.

This phase focused on:

• Organizing CRM processes for different teams responsible for various accounts.

• Ensuring data accessibility and functionality on a global scale.

Key Strategies:

• Asynchronous Communication: We leveraged tools like Slack and Google Docs to communicate efficiently across different time zones, minimizing the need for synchronous meetings.

• Professional Collaboration: I brought in other developers and technologists as needed, handling vendor/sub-vendor relationships to streamline the process.

“Carrie and I live half a country away and the way in which we worked asynchronously worked extremely well—more so than if we were in the office together. I think working on modern tools is the most efficient way to work.” - Dean

We continue to iterate and build their Salesforce implementation within the communication and collaboration framework we've created. Our work each month is guided by requests which come in consistently.

Results

The results possible when you hire an independent Salesforce consultant.

Dean and the Virtasant team wanted to get something practical and useful put together—a simple Salesforce CRM.

“We wanted to go quick and capture what we needed with the out-of-the-box-flows and start reporting on our progress and use the data to enhance the system over time.”

We were able to do that and so much more over the course of four years!

The highlights:

• Rapid Deployment: We set up a fully functional Salesforce platform within just a few months.

• Enhanced Visibility: Full visibility into new client work and effective strategies.

• Ongoing Support: Continuous asynchronous support to guide the team and ensure adherence to the intended processes.

In Sum:

Virtasant's journey with Salesforce showcases the impact of a well-executed CRM strategy. From the initial setup to global expansion, our partnership has transformed their sales operations, enabling them to thrive and grow. Working with an independent consultant like Carrie Andrews can significantly enhance your Salesforce implementation, ensuring it meets your business needs efficiently and effectively.